


The Apple and the Tree

by G_the_G



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor (Movies)
Genre: Angst, Angst and Feels, Darcy Lewis is Tony Stark's Daughter, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-17
Updated: 2018-04-17
Packaged: 2019-04-23 22:58:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,074
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14342754
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/G_the_G/pseuds/G_the_G
Summary: Tony doesn't know how to be any father other than the one he knew. Sometimes hurt crosses the generations.





	The Apple and the Tree

**Author's Note:**

> Darcy is about 10 here and it's a secret she's Tony's daughter

For what felt like the hundredth time, Darcy rolled over in bed. Then again. And again. She didn’t know why, but she always had a hard time falling asleep at the New York house. It had probably been a year since she’d visited there, and all the old faeries and unicorns she’d put up last visit were still there. That had been the last time she and her dad had been together too. Well, she had seen him a couple months later.

After the kidnapping.

But he’d been so quiet, hugged her so hard, and looked so much at anyone but her, it had scared her. Made her think it had been her fault. That if she’d been more careful, if she’d not gone to get a treat after dance class, if she’d just done something else, maybr things would have been okay.

Her mom had made sure she’d seen Dr. Madsen. A therapist. She didn’t want anyone to find out about it. Didn't want anyone to know that she still dreamed about it. They'd just get sad and look at her the way her dad did after she'd been found. So she’d gone to see Dr. Madsen and told her everything. About how she had been worried when the big men in masks had taken her. She was terrified. But she knew they’d find her. Her daddy would save her. He was so smart. So strong. He loved her and would always come for her. And he did.

But almost as soon as she was in the hospital with all the doctors and nurses standing around, he’d started to frown. He didn’t laugh and tease her like he usually would. Someone said it wasn’t her fault, probably her mom. But it still felt like she had done something wrong, something to make her daddy different.

And even though she tried to forget that night, the words she’d heard always came back. The angry, whispered words she had to pretend she didn’t hear.

“This is my fault.”

Her mother had sighed. Darcy knew that sigh. It usually came when she’d taken something apart to see how it worked and forgot to put it back together. Or didn’t finish her homework because she’d gotten too distracted reading a book that was more interesting. Or forgot to do the chores her mom asked to her to because she’d been thinking about something when she’d asked.

“Tony, I have our daughter to worry about. I can’t deal with you and your guilt right this minute.”

“I can’t protect her.”

“We’ll just have to be more careful from now on.”

“No. I’m no good for her. I’m just as bad as my dad.”

“ _Tony_ , please. I’m going to go back in the room in case she wakes up. You need to get yourself together or get out.”

“I can’t do this,” he repeated.

Her mom had come back into the room, so Darcy had closed her eyes tight and laid as still as possible. She felt her mom’s hand on her forehead and then stroking along her hair; heard her quiet murmurs and hums. But she didn’t hear her dad. And until her mom had made him let Darcy come visit him for this trip, that had been the last she’d heard him say for months.

Whining to herself, Darcy kicked off her blankets and sat up in bed. There had to be something more interesting in the house. Dr. Madsen always told her it was good to think through everything, talk about it, figure out what happened and how she could deal with it. But she also said that it was okay to distract yourself if you couldn’t do it on your own right then. If you didn’t want to think about it. She said it was important to make sure you felt strong enough and then something about how even being a child, Darcy knew her limits better than most adults. But right then she didn't care about what Dr. Madsen said, she just wanted something to do. She’d go to the library, get a book, and read until she fell asleep. It always helped at home.

So she climbed out of bed, quick and easy. She wasn’t scared of monsters under the bed anymore. She knew there were scarier, more real things outside now. Like vans and clanking metal doors.

Without bothering to turn on any lights, she slowly walked down the long hallway. The top story of the library was at the far end and she had walked there so many times when she'd visited before. But before she made it, she heard voices coming from her dad’s study. It wasn’t weird for Pepper to be here late, trying to find whatever papers her dad had lost earlier or get him to sign things he’d ignored. But Darcy wasn’t used to hearing her sound so angry. Or her dad so tired.

“Mr. Stark, you can’t do this.”

“What do you want me to do, Pepper?”

“Take a day off, skip some parties, spend some time with Darcy and stop ignoring her!”

“Sure, and while I’m at it, how about I tell everyone the truth! Hey bad guys, I have a kid, why not try what the other guys failed at.”

“Like you said, she’s your daughter. It was bound to happen. But you can’t keep pushing her away.”

Her dad let out a sigh. It was one she knew. One her mom let out whenever Darcy started researching projects online and asked for help, but her mom didn’t know how to help. Or when she skipped a grade and told her mom she was still bored. When the other kids teased her endlessly and her mom tried to give her advice on what to do. Darcy wasn’t used to hearing that sigh from her dad.

“It’s better this way.”

“It’s not her fault and you’re taking it out on her. You’re _hurting_ her.”

“Didn’t you know? That’s what I do! Me and my old man before me!”

“That’s not-”

“No. Just stop. It’s better this way.”

Darcy didn’t want to hear anymore. And suddenly a book didn’t sound as good as it did before. She turned around and went back to her room. But instead of climbing into bed, she sat in the window seat, hugging a pillow, and humming a song her dad used to sing with her, one she only half remembered.

**Author's Note:**

> Don't know why the angst flowed but it did.
> 
> If you wanna stop by, I'm [awww-brain-no](http://awww-brain-no.tumblr.com) in tumblr land.


End file.
